Catherine, I have the full Skorik docum-film. In it, she definitely came across as more mature and introspective than most of her fellow students at the Perm Academy (which, of course, made it difficult for her, as she was not 'the social butterfly'...not with the "In Crowd"). In other words, Skorik was never pampered in school; she has been through the school of hard knocks.

I admire those sorts of persons. Not spoiled or arrogant.

Author:

Catherine Pawlick [ Tue Jul 14, 2009 7:55 pm ]

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Hi NataliaN,

Agreed, there are too many, in my opinion, of the spoiled/arrogant ones! It is always refreshing to encounter someone who has achieved things through good old fashioned toil, and not being the social butterfly or greasing palms, which is the easier (and less ethical) route. Cheers for Oksana!

Catherine, I am looking forward to reading your "review of the film 'Ballerina" (with interviews from Obratsova and the others in the film)." (June 24, 2009), when it appears in "Dance Europe" magazine.

I have watched much of this video and for me it gives a Very Sympathetic view of

Evgenia Obraztsova

-- as well as of all the other four "Ballerinas" -- Uliana Lopatkina, Diana Vishneva, Svetlana Zakharova and Alina Somova -- such a hearttouching commitment to their chosen Expression of Beauty.

Author:

Sacto7654 [ Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:36 am ]

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Catherine Pawlick wrote:

Agreed, Buddy. Unfortunately "should" and "will" are miles apart...

Didn't you way that the "acid test" for becoming a female Principal lead the ability to successfully dance the Odette/Odile role? Obraztsova's somewhat limited range of leading roles (and her relatively short height) could prevent her from getting Principal status.

Now, Ekaterina Kondaurova, on the other hand, may have the chance in a few years' time, especially given Kondaurova's enormous success in the O/O role.

Author:

Cassandra [ Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:42 am ]

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Seeing that Vishneva was a Kirov principal long before dancing Swan Lake, I fail to see how that can be called an acid test.

As Obratzova is only marginally less than average height I don't see how this could possibly handicap her, she richly deserves principal status as does Ekaterina Osmolkina.

Author:

NataliaN [ Fri Jul 17, 2009 7:59 am ]

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Too, Obraztsova's range is actually wider than that of Somova or many other principals. Just look at the number of leading roles in premieres that she has essayed: Ondine, Simbiuke (Shurale), Flora, Colombine, etc. Not to mention premieres in other places, such as Carla Fracci's Cinderella in Rome.

If anything, it is the very tall and big-boned (and gorgeous) Kondaurova whose range in principal roles is limited...Street Dancer or Dryad instead of Kitri, Myrtha instead of Giselle, Lilac instead of Aurora, Sea Horse instead of Tsar Maiden in Humpbacked Horse. I personally would make her a Principal instantly but, in the mind of Kirov-Mariinsky powers, she is as limited by her 'bigness' as Obraztsova and Osmolkina may be limited by their petiteness. And being "too big" may actually be a bigger sin than being petite. [The tall ones who've made it to Principal are Thin-to-the-Bone...Lopatkina, Somova, Mezentseva earlier. Poor Veronika Part left because she knew she had no chance. After years of waiting, she finally made principal at the age of 31 with ABT. I hope that Kondaurova will not have to leave to become a principal.]

Author:

Catherine Pawlick [ Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:11 pm ]

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Hi Cassandra,

Quote:

As Obratzova is only marginally less than average height I don't see how this could possibly handicap her, she richly deserves principal status as does Ekaterina Osmolkina.

No disputing her deserving the status, but unfortunately I see the point she (E.O.) was making about height. In the same way that, say, 50 yrs ago a female dancer of 5'10" would never have made principal dancer, so today there *seems to be* a situation of reverse emploi active within the MT (at least according to Obratsova there is) in which shorter dancers are not considered Odette/Odile material, and as NN alluded to in the previous post. IN practice you can see that is the case. There are lots of other girls around Obratsova's height who are quite talented too and will forever remain in the corps de ballet (granted other factors may be at play here). But if you look purely at height, her comment rings true. Maybe others of her height are not as expansive emotionally as she (in fact none are), but they certainly are technically well prepared for such roles and in many ways could easily be slotted into principal dancer status in any foreign/Western theatre without a blink of an eye. Which leads one to think that her explanation may truly be the core of the reason behind her --if i may call it such -- stagnation. It boggles my mind too, seeing how vast her talent is, not just technique but as a consummate actress with a VERY wide range (as NN points out in her last post).

+++

Quote:

in the mind of Kirov-Mariinsky powers, she is as limited by her 'bigness' as Obraztsova and Osmolkina may be limited by their petiteness. And being "too big" may actually be a bigger sin than being petite.

I think this is exactly it, NataliaN.

Quote:

[The tall ones who've made it to Principal are Thin-to-the-Bone...Lopatkina, Somova, Mezentseva earlier. Poor Veronika Part left because she knew she had no chance. After years of waiting, she finally made principal at the age of 31 with ABT. I hope that Kondaurova will not have to leave to become a principal.]

Some of the recent converations I've had with dancers about the taller girls, calling Lopatkina (who is practically translucent) "heavy" -- the demands and standards here are impossibly high no matter which way you turn, I think that's part of the bottom line too. I personally feel for the taller girls bc of the weight issue. For their height, the shorter girls have more healthy weights generally speaking. If you were to put the taller girls on the same ratio of weight to height, they'd be allowed to gain weight, and yet they are not. I understand that the stage adds pounds to a dancer just as film does; i understand too the obsession worldwide of late with the Guillem-type physique. And i think it's sad that health is unquestionably being sacrificed by some of these artists. When you see them on stage they may look normal. You see them in person and you realize how tiny they are (speaking of the taller ones especially).

Author:

Cygne [ Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:59 pm ]

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Ladies, I agree with all of you. Vishneva literally went straight from her graduation performance to Principal Dancer, pole vaulting over the corps de ballet. Her first pro role was Kitri just a few days after her commencement. For many years she too was denied O/O in her home theatre. She therefore outsourced this role first to Berlin with Malakhov, with P. Bart, then the Paris Opera Ballet, and for the last few years, during her annual Spring/Summer engagements with ABT at the Met. In the beginning Vishneva was declared by the management to be a soubrette/virtuosa/allegro hybrid. O/O is 2/3 an adagio, lyrical, legato role. Furthermore, the management at that time determined that her legs and feet were unsightly for the role, and withheld it from her. After a few years of outsourcing her O/O, the Maryinsky management relented, and she made her debut the opening night of the 2005/2006 season, Sept 21, 2005. In what would have been the first hometown opening night of her career, Dasha Pavlenko was cast to dance O/O that night as follow up to her Covent Garden triumph in the role during the 2005 UK summer tour. To date, Pavlenko, a Principal Dancer, has not opened one Maryinsky season in her home theatre in "Swan Lake" or any ballet. IMO Vishneva does best as Odile as it suits her technique, melodrama and artistic temperament more than Odette.

Both Lopatkina and Kondaurova have all the qualities required of great O/Os. They both have the mystery, and they are both mistresses of nuance and legato phrasing. They're both tall - but they also have total control of their limbs; this is key for O/O.

Osmolkina and Obratzova have all the superlatives and possess all the qualities needed to excel in this role. Osmolkina waited a decade for her home debut as O/O this past January. Osmolkina had one follow up at home, after her second and third performances were danced at Covent Garden. She was reportedly outstanding in both performances. Osmolkina maintains a whopping +50 roles in her repertory. This study list contains more leading and supporting roles than all the female PDs and 1st/2nd soloists on roster. What are they waiting for? Retirements and the economic situation could be factors here. IMO, re the former, the wrong ones are "retired," and others who have long since needed to retire continue to linger and loiter. Re the latter point, perhaps the opportune time to promote Osmolkina has either passed or is on hold until the economic situation improves. *(Please see final paragraph. As already noted in these threads, one was considered to have "grown" more than anyone else in the company). Given all these factors, the question becomes, exactly what will it take for Osmolkina to promote?

In Obratzova's case, where Osmolkina outnumbers her roles, she is, 1) the most awarded, and 2) the most internationally critically acclaimed of all the female 1st & 2nd Soloists. Obratzova has also had to outsource her debuts in major roles. Until recent years, the closest Genichka has gotten to Odette is as one of the cygnets, (the second from stage right to be exact). The current climate doesn't bode well for her to get a Maryinsky debut as O/O. Hopefully, she won't have to make her debut as a stranger in the wrong paradise. If she gets the opportunity to outsource the role, by all means she should do it - and as soon as possible. She'd excel in any "Swan Lake" production anywhere in this world.

*Somova's deficiencies and inefficiencies have been thoroughly discussed in this fora, the other dance fora, etc. Yet, the management persists in casting her not only in this role, but as debutante in other ballets. In effect, they're hoping for what could be euphemistically termed "the desired outcome." She was in the corps barely six months before her O/O debut. Within three years of her graduation, she was raced through the ranks. At the beginning of 2008, she was appointed 1st Soloist and 6 months later she was appointed a Principal Dancer, despite ample and consistent evidence of her incompetence. That accelerated timeline puts all of this in perspective, no? This season Giselle, the Tsarevna in "LHH," and "In the Night were added to her study list. Her next debut will be Juliet, August 3 at Covent Garden.